A man reportedly rushed a ferry’s wheelhouse as it was docking at Manly Wharf on Friday afternoon. Crew, who believe the man was affected by drugs, said he was attempting to access the ferry’s steering wheel to take control over the vessel.
At around 4pm on 16 October 2026, a ferry travelling from Circular Quay to Manly was preparing to dock at Manly Wharf. As the crew initiated their docking procedures, the man allegedly stormed the door to the wheelhouse (which the crew were exiting through).
According to a witness, who has requested to remain anonymous, the engineer (who usually supports the captain when docking a ferry) was approved to leave his post to support the crew trying to restrain the man. This left the captain on their own to dock the ferry.
The captain contacted the control room in Circular Quay to request them to call the police to meet them at Manly Wharf; however; the witness told us this was denied. Manly Observer has been told its normal policy for ferries to contact emergency services during a medical emergency so they can liaise with emergency workers. However, we were told that in this case, with the captain docking the ship and the crew involved in restraining the man, there wasn’t a member of the crew available to contact the police.
Upon docking, the captain ordered the wharf deckhands not to lower the planks so the man could be restrained until police arrived, but in the confusion, they lowered the planks, and the man left.
When the ferry returned to Circular Quay, police took statements from crew members. Police confirmed they have commenced an investigation.
Another member of the public, who witnessed the event, claimed the man was approaching the wheelhouse to berate staff for “intentionally” splashing him (during the ferry crossing), but did not think the man wanted to take control of the vessel.
Crew safety a priority
Crew members have reportedly taken leave because of the distress of the incident, telling Manly Observer they feel there wasn’t appropriate support from the company’s control room during the incident, which they described as an attempted hijacking of the ferry.
Transdev Sydney Ferries, who operate Sydney Ferries, told Manly Observer, they are aware of the incident and take the safety and wellbeing of customers and crew seriously.
“Transdev Sydney Ferries operates under established safety and emergency response procedures,” a Transdev spokesperson said.
“This includes frequent reviews, including after incidents, with adjustments made as required.
“An internal investigation into this incident is underway.”
When asked to clarify details of reports we’ve heard of the incident, particularly around policies into contacting emergency services, they said Transdev is working with NSW Police, and as investigations are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment on specific details.
Manly Observer understands this type of incident is common enough on ferries across Australia to be a workplace issue for crew.
“This particular matter is still under investigation, but there is no place for violence against ferry workers or any behaviour that might put a vessel and its passengers at risk,” a Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) spokesperson told us.
“Crew members are not in a position to physically detain offenders as it could further expose both crew and the passengers to greater risk of injury.
“Unfortunately, these issues do occur from time to time on ferries around the country, and the MUA treats these incidents as critical safety and workplace stress issues for crew members involved.
“It is the responsibility of the operators of public transport services to implement systems to mitigate the risk of these incidents occurring in the first place and to support ferry workers when an incident occurs.”
